


And Then You

by mammothluv



Category: Castle
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-23 20:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8342353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mammothluv/pseuds/mammothluv
Summary: "I mean we’re two devastatingly attractive women spending a fair amount of time together. It would almost be ridiculous if we weren’t occasionally kissing.”Hayley and Alexis post-series finale.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SadieFlood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadieFlood/gifts).



> For SadieFlood. I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Many thanks to blanketed_in_stars for the fantastic beta work. 
> 
> Castle belongs to ABC and the the show's creators. I'm not making any profit and no copyright infringement is intended.

**9 a.m., Monday May 16, 2016**

When Hayley and Alexis leave The Old Haunt at 9 a.m., Ryan, Esposito, Lanie, and Vikram are still downing celebratory drinks. Locksat being officially behind them is as good a reason as any for early morning drinking but, after a few hours, Alexis is ready to escape the crowd and Hayley seems content to make their exit together.

Alexis leans into Hayley, winding her arm through Hayley’s elbow as they step out into the cool morning air. 

“Even though I desperately need it, I’m still too wired to sleep,” Haley says as she raises her hand to hail a cab. “I’m going to head back to the office and get a jump on the Ashford case.”

Alexis replies, “I’ll keep you company,” and Hayley’s face softens in a way that might be imperceptible to someone else. 

“You’ve got to need sleep more than I do,” Hayley observes. She reaches out a hand to tuck a strand of Alexis’ hair behind her ear and Alexis leans into the touch, savoring the contact. 

“Maybe I’ll lay down on the office couch for a while. Then I’ll help you dive into the Ashford case,” Alexis says. 

A cab pulls to the curb and Hayley simply nods in agreement and gestures for Alexis to get in first. 

The truth is Alexis isn’t ready to be alone just yet. She appreciates Hayley not making her say it. 

When they arrive at the office, Hayley heads straight for the desk while Alexis sheds her coat and sits down on the couch. She tries not to think about the last day spent here waiting anxiously with guards outside the door, reminds herself Locksat is a thing of the past. 

Which means there’s time to focus on better things. 

“So,” Alexis starts. “Now that our world is no longer coming to an end and you and I are alone and not locked in a panic room with my grandmother….”

“Yes,” Hayley prompts when Alexis’s pause last a little too long. And maybe it’s just wishful thinking on Alexis’ part but she reads something like hope behind the playful tone. 

“We should maybe talk about…” Alexis says. 

“The kissing?” Hayley asks as she continues to sort through the papers on the desk. Her eyes flicker to meet Alexis’ own briefly and what Alexis sees there urges her forward. 

“That’s the one,” Alexis confirms. “It’s becoming a trend; I thought maybe we should discuss it.” 

“There it is!” Hayley exclaims holding up a file triumphantly and making her way to the couch where Alexis sits.

“So do you think we should?” Alexis prompts. 

“Talk about the kissing? Not particularly. I would also argue that twice does not a trend make. I mean, we’re two devastatingly attractive women spending a fair amount of time together. It would almost be ridiculous if we weren’t occasionally kissing.”

“Fair enough,” Alexis says. And maybe she’s a little disappointed that Hayley’s skirting the issue but she can’t help but smile because Hayley’s walking toward her, her tongue darting out to smooth across her lower lip. 

“Now, three times,” Hayley continues, as she move closer to Alexis. Alexis swallows, watches Hayley’s eyes as she advances. “Three times would be something to discuss.” 

And then Hayley’s kneeling on the couch, leaning over Alexis and her mouth is on hers. Hayley’s fingers are splaying against the small of her back. Her lips are warm and soft and tinged with the flavor of the scotch she drank at the The Old Haunt. 

Alexis thinks maybe this is her reward for surviving the storm that’s been the past few days because it’s actually pretty perfect.

Then her phone rings.

 

**10:16 a.m., Monday May 16, 2016**

“Oh, Alexis,” her grandmother exclaims as Alexis bursts through the emergency room doors, Hayley trailing after her. As soon as Alexis is close enough, Martha pulls her into a hug. 

Alexis wants nothing more than to lose herself in the familiar comfort of her gram’s arms around her and inhale the familiar scent of her Coco Mademoiselle, pretend this is like a thousand other hugs she’s gotten from her grandmother throughout the years.

But it isn’t. Alexis pushes back, searches Martha’s eyes for any clues to how bad this might be, the weight in her chest growing heavier with each passing second.

“I don’t know much, sweetheart. They’re both in surgery,” Martha says. 

Alexis blindly reaches a hand behind her and Hayley’s fingers intertwine with hers instantly.

Forty five minutes later Jim Beckett and Martha sit together, Martha’s fingernails drumming against the arm of one of the uncomfortable waiting room chairs and Jim slowly tearing apart the rim of a paper coffee cup in which the coffee has long since gone cold. Lanie sits silently beside them both while Hayley paces the waiting room, occasionally walking past Alexis and trailing a hand along her shoulders. 

Ryan and Esposito show up later, faces drawn. Alexis and Martha fill them in on the news which is almost nothing. Alexis feels she’s been in this waiting room for days. But both her dad and Kate are still in surgery and the one update they’ve received from the nurse offered little information and even less reassurance. 

“We wanted to make sure the scene was secured properly ourselves or we would have been here sooner,” Kevin explains. 

“Caleb Brown?” Hayley asks, her voice tight.

“He’s in surgery too,” Espo responds. “Don’t worry,” he adds with a pointed look at Martha and Alexis, “We’ve got a team of guards on him. We’re not taking any chances with that scumbag.” 

Her grandmother nods to convey her gratitude but suddenly all Alexis can picture is her father’s blood spreading across the floor in the kitchen where he made them pancakes just last weekend. 

She needs to be anywhere but there in that waiting room with one more chance at losing him for good closing in on her. 

Her breath is coming in short gasps by the time she makes it into the stairwell, her vision blurry with tears. The stairway feels just as claustrophobic as the waiting room but her feet won’t keep moving to take her outside. 

Her head is pounding and every sound, every thought, every everything feels like too much input, like she’s on overload. 

The door opens and then slams shut behind the now second occupant of the stairwell. It seems far louder than it should be.

But Hayley’s voice is soft.

“I wasn’t sure if I should follow,” she says.

Alexis turns to look at her, dragging a sleeve across her eyes to clear the tears.

“I don’t know that I’ll listen if you tell me to go,” Hayley continues. “But you could try.” 

“I’m not going to tell you to go,” Alexis responds.

“Good,” Hayley says. She moves to tap her gun in a way that looks almost unconscious. 

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Alexis asks, eyes trailing from the gun back up to Hayley’s face. “Should I be worried?”

Hayley looks down at her hand then back at Alexis. “No, no. I just... I spent the last few days worrying about your safety and now this… I… I know there’s no immediate danger to you but I can’t just turn it off.” Hayley shrugs, then folds her arms across her chest like she isn’t sure what to do with them. 

It’s almost too much, the feeling of being cared for right now. Alexis tries for a steadying breath but it comes out more like a sob. 

“What can I do?” Hayley asks, tentatively stepping closer. “What do you need?” 

“You. Just you is good,” Alexis says, closing the distance between them. 

Hayley’s hands are firm on Alexis’ shoulders, pulling her in until Alexis’ head is resting against Hayley’s chest. 

“I’m here. I’m going to be here whenever you need me,” Hayley whispers. Her arms are tighter around Alexis than they usually are. 

Alexis feels her breathing begin to slow. She pulls back just far enough that she can look Hayley in the eye. Hayley’s gaze is steady, sure, everything Alexis isn’t right now. She doesn’t have the words so she leans in to meet Hayley’s lips with her own. 

 

**3:39 p.m., Monday May 16, 2016**

“So, is Ms. Shipton a good kisser?” Martha’s question pulls Alexis away from her careful observation of the minute hand on the clock that graces the wall of the waiting room. 

“What? Gram!” Alexis stutters. 

“You own approximately ten shades of lipstick, sweetheart. The shade currently on your lips is not one of them. It is, however, a shade I’ve seen frequently on a certain P.I. and ex-MI-6 agent,” Martha observes. 

Jim clears his throat and keeps his eyes firmly focused on his cup of coffee. Lanie snickers. Hayley, thankfully, has gone outside with Ryan and Esposito, presumably to discuss some details of the shootings they don’t want Alexis, Martha, and Jim to hear. 

It’s been almost another hour with no word. The question that just came out of Martha’s mouth makes Alexis think it’s possible her grandmother is the first one to lose it. 

“I… I hardly think now is the time.” Alexis can feel her cheeks growing warm, knows that means a bright pink flush is currently spreading up her neck to her face, a dead giveaway to Martha that she’s right, as if the lipstick weren’t enough. 

“Oh, come on darling, we’re all miserable, worried, and sick of waiting. Give us a distraction,” Martha prods. 

“How is Alexis going to distract us?” Hayley chimes in from behind as she returns to the waiting room. 

“My Gram wants to know if you’re a good kisser,” Alexis says, sinking down in her chair and covering her face with her hands. She feels rather than sees Hayley plop down in the chair next to her.

“I absolutely am,” Hayley declares, draping her arm across the back of Alexis’ chair. “I assume she confirmed that?” 

Alexis responds with an embarrassed groan. But there’s gratitude skirting along the edge of her mortification, gratitude that Hayley fits so well in this little band of theirs, greets inappropriate questions at inappropriate times with equally inappropriate answers. 

“Don’t look so mortified, dear. It’s not as if you’re the only person in history to resort to a little hanky-panky to distract yourself from a traumatic situation. I remember when my character was killed off on Temptation Lane,” Martha continues, her voice taking on a nostalgic tone. “I was devastated of course but then a certain co-star and I found ourselves a supply closet and…”

Alexis covers her face with her hands and attempts to sink further down in her chair. 

“You’re hardly in a position to act shocked, Alexis, after all it’s your...”

Martha trails off and stands up. Alexis turns her head to see a man in scrubs walking toward them. 

 

**7:15 p.m., Tuesday May 31, 2016**

Hayley emerges from Castle and Beckett’s room with a dazed look on her face.

“I take it you were subjected to my dad’s theory on the major conspiracy in the online gambling community that may or may not end in extra-terrestrial beings taking over Earth?” Alexis asks sympathetically from where she’s sprawled on the living room couch. 

“It certainly is… detailed,” Hayley says. “Don’t take this the wrong way but I don’t know how Beckett has retained her sanity in that room with him for the past week.” 

“I think it helps that she’s still on a lot of pain meds,” Alexis offers. 

Hayley nods her agreement. 

“Alien gambling conspiracies aside, I have something to discuss with you,” Hayley says as she makes her way to where Alexis sits and plops down on the opposite end of the couch. 

“Do tell,” Alexis encourages, extending a leg to poke Hayley’s thigh playfully with her foot. 

Hayley raises an eyebrow in her direction and swats the foot away. But she looks directly at Alexis as she does so and her lips quirk upwards as she does. It’s enough to make Alexis feel warm, almost giddy. 

It’s been a draining few weeks and Hayley’s almost daily visits have been an undeniable bright spot. 

“You’ve been spending pretty much every day here with your dad and Beckett since they got out of the hospital, which is amazing, but you need a break.”

“I just don’t…” Alexis begins to protest. 

“... feel comfortable leaving. Which is why I talked to Ryan and Esposito who will be here in approximately 20 minutes. They’re bringing dinner and planning to play poker with your father and Beckett. They may have mentioned something about taking full advantage while he’s still drugged up. But the important part is that both you and your grandmother can take the night off and know that the two of them are in good hands.”

“Good hands who are preparing to fleece them while they’re under the influence of pain medication after sustaining life threatening injuries?” Alexis asks.

“Exactly!” Hayley exclaims. “It’s not too much is it? My making the arrangements? I’m not trying to take over but I did think you could use a break.”

“It’s not too much. It’s pretty perfect and incredibly thoughtful. Thank you.”

“Excellent. So want to hang out with me tonight?” Hayley asks. 

“I do,” Alexis replies. “I’m just pretty worn out.”

“Of course. I should have thought. We can do it another night if you want,” Hayley offers. 

“No!”

Hayley raises an eyebrow at the vehemence of Alexis’ response.

“I do want to hang out with you,” Alexis clarifies. “I’m just providing a disclaimer that I may fall asleep fifteen minutes in.” 

“I can live with that,” Hayley responds, a genuine smile spreading across her face. 

“So we can do something low key? Like marathon some dance movies at your place or something?” 

“If you were desperate to get me alone, Alexis, you could have just said,” Hayley teases, crossing her legs and leaning toward Alexis.

“I’m desperate to get you alone, Hayley,” Alexis responds, leaning in as well and placing a hand on Hayley’s knee. 

“I figured. You were being pretty obvious. Center Stage?” Hayley asks. 

“The best dance move of the early 2000s. A solid first pick.” Alexis agrees. 

“Followed by…”

“Step Up, obviously.” Alexis finishes. 

“Every second chance begins with a first step,” Hayley says in her best preview voiceover impression, eliciting a laugh from Alexis. “I like where this night is going.”

“Me too. Just let me grab my coat and say goodnight to my dad and Beckett. By the way, it is so dorky that you just did that,” she adds as she walks into the other room.

“Yeah, but you love it,” Hayley calls after her. 

Once Alexis has said her goodnights and they get into the hallway, they make it four steps from the loft door before Alexis grabs Hayley by the shoulders and spins her so she can push her back against the wall. And then Alexis is kissing her hard, hands sliding up under her shirt to feel warm skin under her fingertips. 

Hayley’s hands trail eagerly down Alexis back and up again in response. 

Alexis pushes closer, her knee situating itself between Hayley’s legs. Hayley hums with contentment and the sound runs straight through Alexis. 

“Are you going to ravage me right here in this hallway? I’m not complaining but the couch in my apartment is a little more comfortable,” Hayley observes. 

“Shut up,” Alexis responds. Her mouth trails to Hayley’s neck and she revels in the gasp she earns in response. But, in deference to Hayley’s suggestion, she does push them to the elevator and press the down button. 

“I definitely like where this night is going,” Hayley says as the elevator doors open and she steps in, pulling Alexis with her.


End file.
